


Of Indulgences and dalliances

by Shamelessly_Radiant



Category: The Musketeers (2014)
Genre: As in very much, F/M, I just saw it and I'll probably write a fix-it, The Cardinal will not betray Milady just like that, Very much disregards the ending of the episode and of the season, because, no
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2019-03-03 07:37:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13336497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shamelessly_Radiant/pseuds/Shamelessly_Radiant
Summary: He has seen her coy, arrogant, cold and self-assured, and beautiful, always beautiful, but up until that moment, he realises he has never before seen her afraid.He finds he quite likes the sight.(Set after 'Knight takes Queen' S1E9: The Cardinal's plan has worked beautifully and he finds himself feeling... indulgent)





	Of Indulgences and dalliances

**Author's Note:**

> Yes. No. I don't know. These two have such a great dynamic, and I couldn't not.  
> Kind of disregards the ending of that episode and 100% disregards the ending of the Season because, no, Richelieu would not betray Milady just ike that.

He has seen her coy, arrogant, cold and self-assured, and beautiful, always beautiful, but up until that moment, he realises he has never before seen her afraid.

He finds he quite likes the sight.

It is not until later that he reflects on the smoothness of her face under his fingers, on the way her green eyes sparkled when a thin sheen of water coated her, on the way her breasts heaved so beautifully when she released a barely there sob.

He was too furious, _outraged_ and afraid, his mind plotting and going miles per hour because if this went wrong- _if this went wrong_ \- she would not be the only one to pay a price. His position, his very life depended on this. And she had _failed_ him.

He had left her sagged against the wall, only thinking about how to fix things, adrenaline keeping him going.

But now.

Now that all the puzzle pieces have fallen into place, now that Mellendorf has confessed to a crime he did not commit, allowing Richelieu to do so by playing right into his hands and displaying his weaknesses so very carelessly, now that the King is contrite and Anne may even be of use… he remembers perfectly well.

It has been far too long since Adèle. Milady would never make the mistake of betraying him so thoroughly, she is far too smart, too versatile in survival strategies, and wonderfully afraid of him. He dares to think his little display will have made her position perfectly clear, will have shown her that his patience knows limits and his indulgence knows ends.

Though perhaps not yet…

Because he also remembers her giving him a drink of water after he was poisoned, taking care of him. He remembers her closely hovering nearby him the whole time, until the killer was found. He will believe her loyal until the moment she proves herself not to be, and though her secrets are an annoyance, he does not begrudge her for them.

He has her summoned to his chambers, and she arrives as swift and silent as she always does, sleek as a feline, but this time with her eyes trained on the ground. When he holds his hand out to her, she falls to her knees, and kisses his hand, the perfect picture of devotion.

He strokes her face and raises her head with two fingers under her chin, relishes again in the softness of her skin, the cleverness in her eyes, the elegance and grace of her. Yes. Not like Adèle at all. Imbued with the right mix of devotion and respect now, she will do quite nicely.

Gesturing for her to stand, he turns towards the window, observing the clatter of rain on the glass. It is not a foolish notion of trust that makes him turn his back to her, but a warning, that she is beneath him in any and every way. A sign, that he knows she will not stab him, at least not in his back.

At last, the rustle of her skirts, the sound of her gentle breathing. “Forgive me, Eminence,” she murmurs, “I will not be so careless, again.”

“I know you won’t.” he turns, just in time to see her school her features, just in time to see her hide that delicious fear and shock. He lashes out, grabbing her face again and pulling her close. “Normally,” he speaks through clenched teeth, letting his breath hiss out between his teeth, “I would have you dealt with in a manner directly proportional to your grievances. However…,” he lets his hand gentle, caressing her cheekbone and watching her eyes flutter shut, “since everything turned out well, in no small part thanks to you, I am feeling… indulgent.”

His finger continues its path downwards, over the smooth expanse of her neck, over her collarbone, stopping as it reaches the rounded mounds of her breasts. Her eyes are dark, heavy-lidded with desire. “Oh?” she asks, and though there is still a flicker of unease on her face, she is growing bolder now, again.

No matter. He will remind her of her place again in the morning, though he has enough faith in her to trust that she knows that he will not so easily be swayed by her charms even as he is taken by her beauty. He will have her now, and again if he so desires, and yet he will not hesitate to condemn her if she ever again grows careless.

Besides, he quite likes her bolder. It will not do to have her give herself only out of fear. It is not what he desires.

“I thought you said you would not burn me,” she says, and he laughs throatily, caressing his hand down her bodice, palming the weight of a full breast in his hand as the other finds her waist, drawing her closer.

“I did,” he agrees, before shoving down her choker and kissing the burns the ropes seared in her flesh; and even as she gasps and clutches him closer, he knows she understand him perfectly.

“Come,” he says, letting her go, and turns towards his bed chambers without seeing if she is following.

(He knows she will.)


End file.
